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Apr 25 9 Ways To Be Grateful Right Now

I placed the uncooked spaghetti and marinara sauce into my cart and kept wheeling around the store. My eyes were sunken and glassy from allergies and lack of sleep. My hair? Rat’s have made actual nests that looked more appealing. I might have had my slip-in Uggs on too, though I won’t publicly admit that if asked.

As I was just starting to feel sorry for myself and head home to try and sneak in a nap before falling asleep in my car, I looked down at my full cart, a mix of things my toddler will eat, things my husband might eat, and things I want to try. How lucky I am to just throw things into my card willy nilly? There have been times in my life where I had to keep the grocery bill under $50 a week. Where I lived teetering on the edge of credit card debt, where I was deep into and then out of credit card debt, where I made more than I needed to survive, and where I made just enough to break even.

This post isn’t about money. It’s about recognizing how some of the smallest tasks are wakeup calls that we are alive and have so much to be grateful for.

I looked down at that marinara and thought, “thank you God for all of this food. For a family to eat it with. For a table to sit around. For a toddler who at least eats spaghetti, if nothing else.” I smiled and shuffled to my car (you can’t do anything but shuffle in slip-in Uggs).

Though I was the crankiest brat in the Western Hemisphere this morning, and threw an adult temper tantrum at my husband, this little trip to the grocery store changed my vibe.

If you notice yourself slipping into a negative space, I challenge you to stop immediately and list three things you’re grateful for in that moment. Breath it out.

As you think about it right now, there are three types of gratitude I like to acknowledge:

1. Being grateful in a moment about a present thing.

“I am so grateful for this marinara sauce!”

2. Being grateful about a past experience.

“I am so grateful I married my husband!”

3. Being grateful about something you want to happen in the future.

“I am so grateful to have a successful gardening show on Chip and Joanna Gaines new TV network!”

I think all three types of gratitude have two things in common: first, they’ll uplift you. They’ll give you some energy and brighten your mood. Then, they’ll bring you more things to be grateful about. Positivity attracts positivity.

If you need inspiration today, here are nine things I listed that I was grateful for today:

My feet that walk me around all day.

My ability to smile at a stranger and see them smile back.

The air when it’s such the perfect temperature that you can barely feel it.

Flowers on my mantle.

My son eating lentils last night.

My ability to nap in the day sometimes.

My pregnant body, which is adapting and changing every day.

Being able to buy groceries.

Having a healthy baby girl this coming June!

We all need reminders of how to say thank you at times - I always love seeing what others come up with when they’re thanking their stars. I try to do this morning and night but am proud of myself when I can catch a present moment that’s otherwise ordinary and comes up as exceptional when I think to say thank you.